David Haye put the old-time razzle-dazzle back into heavyweight boxing, electrified a sell-out crowd in Manchester and captivated millions watching on television.
That he could deliver on his promise of such pyrotechnical brilliance and heart-stopping drama after being deprived of his final month of sparring by an eye cut in training made this performance all the more astonishing.
The one problem is that his blitzkrieg of an heroic John Ruiz may startle the fighting daylights out of the two big brothers based in Germany, whose collection of belts Haye needs to complete his crusade for world domination.Negotiations with Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko have been fractious, to say the least, since the wielder of the Hayemaker came thundering up from cruiserweight to menace the giants of the prize-ring.
Those talks threaten to become yet more protracted after a wild, bloodsplattered night in the MEN Arena ended in revelations that the Klitschkos are likely now to switch their attentions to Nikolai Valuev, the Russian goliath who Haye defeated to win his WBA championship.A re-match clause in the contract with Valuev already presented one obstacle to Haye's ambition of unifying the heavyweight titles in time to retire before his 31st birthday, 18 months hence. Another potential brake to that schedule was applied as German promoter Chris Meyer identified Valuev as an opponent-in-waiting for Vitali Klitschko, who has signed already for one other fight this year.
Does Haye want to box Valuev again? 'No, not unless I have to.' Does he want to be kept waiting another 12 months for a tilt at one or other of the Ukrainians who were monopolising the heavyweight scene until he came along? 'No, not if I can help it.'
Do we want to see our charismatic Londoner chance his powerful arm against the regimented Klitschkos as soon as possible? A thousand times yes. Make that 90,000 times if either of those fights takes place at Wembley Stadium.
Is Haye ready for those challenges, as the pundits keep asking? Too right, he is. This is Haye's time in the bright lights. However, if the Klitschkos take a detour through Valuev it will be in keeping with their pattern of making megamoney against minor opponents.
Not that it would be that easy to blame them. Haye's power and, above all, speed of punching reduced Ruiz to a crimson pulp and would present a painful problem to any boxer on the planet. Factor in the intelligence he applies to changing his strategy to deal with differing opponents and he becomes a nightmare to face.
The hit-and-run athleticism which bemused the 7ft 2in Valuev was followed against the 6ft 2in Ruiz by the assertion of a piston-like jab, damaging combinations and a neck-snapping introduction of upper-cuts from both hands. He is more than capable of varying his tactics again - changing angles and working to the body, for example - against the 6ft 7in Klitschkos.
The brothers may want to punish Haye for his insults - and it would be impudent to suggest that two such fighting specimens are running scared - but nobody in their right mind would really look forward to sharing a ring with him in this form.
Haye, meanwhile, 'thoroughly enjoyed' making his contribution to a big sporting Saturday in Manchester. So did 20,000 fight fans, much more so than the majority of the 75,000 who joined Haye at Old Trafford around lunchtime.
Haye stands at the pinnacle of a crop of his exciting countrymen who are taking British boxing to another level.
The gang of Chelsea players who went on to the MEN in the evening saw Haye make a mockery of their claims, as the new favourites for the title they crave, that their 'high intensity' football won the important day.
Real intensity was the pressure appl ied on Rui z and only hi s extraordinary courage carried him as far as the ninth round.
The Hispanic-American charged from the first bell in an attempt to nip in the bud Haye's predictable opening onslaught. For his pains, he was sat straight on his backside by a straight left followed by a straight right.
Ruiz overcame his surprise to regain his feet by the count of eight. Soon after rising, he was on his way down again. This time a flurry of blows ended with a rabbit punch to the back of his neck and although the referee went ahead with that count, he then deducted two points from Haye for a 'deliberate foul'.
So we had the curiosity of an 8-7 score in Haye's favour that round.
The second and third were more orthodox. Haye dominated with that stiff jab setting up the big hits, busting Ruiz's nose in the process.
Blood was flying everywhere in the fourth as Ruiz mounted his version of the Charge of the Light Brigade, running into the guns to fire enough shots of his own to win his only round of the fight.
Even that modest success served mostly to answer a couple of our last, lingering questions about Haye. A Ruiz left hook re-opened the eye cut as a reminder of the training problems which brought him to the ring a few pounds too heavy and gulping for air at times. A Ruiz right hook wobbled Haye but he maintained his equilibrium. If that chin is made of crystal then the glass has become tempered with age.
Ruiz went down for the third and fourth time in rounds five and six as Haye pounded him with viciously accurate punches. Never before in his 45-fight career had this former two-time world champion taken a beating like this. How he kept coming forward in the seventh and eighth, through the fog in his brain and the red mist which filled the air every time he was hit, only this proud man and his maker can possibly know.
It was his courage which enabled Haye to put on his spectacle, just as a matador needs a brave bull.
Mercifully, a recent change of management put a wise trainer in the Ruiz corner. As Haye let fly again in the ninth, the experienced Miguel Diaz waved a white towel and referee Guillermo Perez called a halt.
Ruiz, as he turned towards probable retirement at 38, doffed his trademark cloth cap to Haye. The champion saluted the size of his opponent's heart.
The home fans hailed a genuine star. The X Factor? Forget un-reality television. In the very real world of prizefighting, Haye has the Wow Factor.
He would have to pay more attention to defence against the the long-jabbing Klitschkos but although he was occasionally caught too easily by Ruiz he is what he claims to be: 'The most exciting heavyweight in the world.'
He adds: 'If I can get one of them to Wembley I'll fill the place.' Fighting like this, he could fill it two or three times over.
Source: dailymail.co.uk
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